UN’s biodiversity chief warns that if we don’t we could be the first species to document our own extinction.
Cristiana Pasca Palmer, Executive Director of the UN convention on Biological Diversity says pressure needs to be put on governments to set ambitious global targets by 2020 to protect the insects, birds, mammals and plants that are vital for our food production. 196 member states meet this month in Egypt to discuss a new framework for managing ecosystems and wildlife (the start of 2 years of negotiations) with the US only observing. Conservationists are desperate for a biological accord that will carry the same weight as the Paris climate agreement.
By 2050 Africa is expected to loose 50% of its birds and mammals and Asian fisheries are predicted to collapse. The loss of plants and sea life will reduce the Earth’s ability to absorb carbon. Nature based solutions could provide up to a third of the carbon absorption needed to keep global warming within the Paris agreement parameters. The solutions include forest protection, tree planting, land restoration, and soil management. (Guardian 03/11/18).